Locked Past, Open Future
by Element Guardian
Summary: A unique young woman with abilities never heard of before has been living in her adoptive home of Konoha for most of her life. When her past finally catches up to her and she is forced to run, will those she loves follow to help or follow to kill.
1. Genin Cell

Hi! This story popped into my head and I think that I have shaped it the way I want it to be. This story might get confusing fast, so if it does, please tell me so that I can either reword or rechapterrise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. And that's probably a good thing

"_Great beginnings are not as important as the way one finishes."_

_---Unknown_

**Locked Past, Open Future**

**Chapter One **

**Genin Cell**

Asuma walked in through the demolished door. Gai followed, though not as confident as his teammate. The apartment was small and furnished with the bare minimum for living.

"She's going to be mad," Gai whispered, afraid of what would happen to them if they were caught.

The other teenager growled and began looking throughout the apartment. "I don't care. She got us all ten laps around Konoha. And if she doesn't keep up, it's another ten."

Gai sighed, concerned more and more about the situation. The girl they were going for wasn't exactly strong, but she had a temper. If she was mad enough then she might go to somebody of higher authority to have the boys punished.

"Arrrrghh, where is she?" Asuma growled, as he began to look even harder. Not bothering to tell his teammate that she wouldn't be in the silverware drawer, Gai moved past the entry way and went deeper into the depressed living space, until he came across the bed.

He slowly approached the bed, and the lump in the middle confirmed that was where she was. Gai slowly pulled back the covers and found the female member of their cell. She was in the same clothes she had worn the day before to training and appeared not to have showered as well. What scared Gai that it seemed as if she wasn't breathing. With a shaky hand, Gai moved down her neck until he realized he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Asuma, I can't find a pulse," Gai cried. Asuma pushed Gai out of the way and also tried to find her pulse. Thankfully he did, but it was barely there.

Thinking quickly, Asuma wrapped the petite form with blankets before picking her up and holding her like a small child. He turned to Gai. "Find Sensei."

Both boys left the apartment complex in different directions, but both moved quickly. It didn't take long for Asuma to arrive at the hospital.

"What's going on here?" the receptionist ask.

Asuma took a second to catch his breath. "We could barely feel a pulse and she didn't wake up when we broke down her door, or went through her apartment, or when I brought her here…"

"Okay calm down," the receptionist said before calling for a doctor and a stretcher. "When the doctors come, they are going to need you to answer some information so we can help her."

"Like what kind of information?" Asuma asked with a frown.

The receptionist showed Asuma a packet of forms. "Simple things like her weight, her height, any allergies she might have. Stuff we need to know so we can treat her properly."

"I don't know any of that stuff," Asuma said. The receptionist frowned and put the packet to the side.

The stretcher arrived quickly, and Asuma laid his teammate down on the sterilized bed. Carefully, he moved the blanket from her face and finally saw how bad of shape she was in. Her face was pale and thin and it appeared like she had lost too much weight too quickly. A bruise had formed on her face where a punch from their sensei had landed yesterday. Her hair was greasy and knotted. Asuma began to mentally berate himself.

Gai arrived before she was wheeled away. He was without their Sensei.

"Sensei said not to bother him until we've all run the ten laps."

"Good, we don't need him here," Asuma said gruffly before his tough guy act fell. "Gai even I can tell what bad shape she's in. Her hair is a mess. Remember how neat she kept it while we were at the Academy? And she looks like a skeleton."

"Hello boys, you're here with the young girl, right?" a nice nurse chirped. Asuma and Gai nodded obediently.

The nurse smiled and motioned for the boys to follow her. She led them down a hall that was reserved for Shinobi. Some were being stitched up, others were sleeping motionlessly in bed, and one was standing in his doorway.

"What do you need now Taiki?" the nurse said, eyeing the fully clothed man.

"I want my release forms so I can go and get some real food."

"Follow us, I have a patient that needs attention now," the nurse said angrily. "Now boys, can you tell me some basic information about your friend?"

"Her name is Mami and she's twelve years old," Gai started. For once he cut the dramatics.

Taiki stopped. "I recognize that name. I think that's the infant my squad found in the forest one time."

"She has no family, so that means no knowledge about any inherited dieses or blood traits," the nurse sighed.

Asuma chewed on his lip before speaking up. "I know she lost a lot of weight since we graduated from the Academy last month."

"Anybody can tell she lost a lot of weight," the nurse muttered.

"Except for me," Asuma said sullenly.

Gai placed a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't either. And Saniiro Sensei doesn't even care."

"Saniiro is your Sensei?" Taiki asked, stunned to say the least. "Poor kids, no wonder one of you is in the hospital and losing massive amounts of weight."

"Nurse we need your help please," a doctor said.

The nurse turned to the two boys and the man. "Taiki can you please entertain them until I can watch them?"

"What do I look like, a circus clown?"

"We are shinobi, we do not need babysitters."

"Restore our fallen comrade!"

Asuma and Taiki turned to Gai as he gave the nurse thumbs up. The nurse smiled and followed the doctor into the room. Some very uncomfortable plastic chairs had been designed into the hallway for the teammates of wounded shinobi. Taiki slid into one with practiced ease while the two boys sank down and immediately regretted the idea.

"This is the first time a friend of yours ended up in the hospital," Taiki observed.

Gai looked at him while trying to find a comfortable spot. "How could you tell?"

"Besides the fact you look fresh out of the academy, you flopped down into your chairs as if they would actually support the impact. You only need to learn the lesson once. Do you boys like Saniiro?"

"No," Gai said immediately. "He enjoys torturing us and always works us until we collapse. And Saniiro said that before we can take the chunnin exams, we have to kill something."

Taiki looked at the door the nurse had disappeared through. His lips pressed together and his eyes sharpened.

Terrible rumors had been floating around about Saniiro for years. He supposedly trained some of the most skilled assassins, but also the most mentally unstable ones as well. Also Saniiro was known for having no thought or worry for his teammates when he went on group missions, and when he went alone, more than just the target was killed or injured.

However, of all the rumors about Saniiro, one scared even the ANBU. It was said that his mother, a former ANBU was captured on a mission and became pregnant by a demon. That demon's child was supposedly Saniiro.

Despite all these chilling stories, Saniiro was given students to train every few years.

"Asuma, Gai, what are you doing here?" a female voice asked.

Both boys jumped to their feet and bowed to the woman. "Hanaya Sensei."

"Hey Hanaya," Taiki said with a grin.

"And I though you were to be released today, Taiki."

Taiki shrugged. "An emergency patient was brought in and my nurse can't release because she's 'restoring their fallen comrade'. That and I got roped into being a circus clown."

Hanaya was an academy teacher; Asuma, Gai, and Mami's former academy teacher to be exact. She had been unsure about this group from the beginning. Gai was a little flakey and acted differently than anyone she had ever taught before. Asuma was much to grounded and over analyzed everything. Then there was Mami. Some days the small girl would attack others and other days she went to great lengths to avoid all forms of human contact.

When the academy teacher heard who their jounin sensei was, she expected them back within a few hours. Yet it had been a month and she had not received any word on any of Saniiro's students.

"You two never answered my question," Hanaya said calmly.

"Mami didn't show up for practice so we went to her house to make her get up and train," Asuma explained quietly. "When we checked, we could barely find her pulse."

Taiki and Hanaya exchanged a look. The absence of a strong pulse usually meant little or no chakara left within a shinobi's body.

"And you Hanaya, why are you here?" Taiki asked quickly

The teacher held up a bandaged arm. "Small children and sharp objects do not mix."

Taiki and the boys laughed quietly until the Fourth Hokage walked into the room. His normally clear eyes were stormy with anger. He gave a glance at the four people gathered in the hallway before going into the room where the doctors were trying to revive Mami.

Seconds had barely passed before the Forth Hokage exited the treatment room. Both of Mami's teammates quickly jumped to their feet, hoping for information about the girl.

"She just needs time to rest," the Hokage said calmly.

Relief flooded the faces of Gai and Asuma. Their former teacher placed a hand on each of their shoulders and their newly appointed circus clown nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Silence settled down upon the group. Hanaya gently guided the boys to their seats before taking one herself.

The Forth Hokage stood in front of Taiki. "You know you should look after the orphans within your genin cell. We tell you that before you even meet your new students."

"Forth Hokage sir, I mean not to pass on the blame, but this isn't my genin cell. I wasn't asked to take one on this year. Kids this young aren't aloud in the hospital by themselves and a nurse asked me to watch over the boys," Taiki explained.

"Saniiro is our Sensei sir," Asuma said quietly. "We already told him where we are."

Gai shook his head. "He closed the door before I could say we had to take Mami to the hospital."

"Yonodaime, you can't let him to continue to train these kids," Hanaya said sternly.

"I know I should remove them from Saniiro's command," Yonodaime said quietly, "but there's no one to take over the position. It's either they train with Saniiro or they return to the academy."

"I can train them. I've already been appointed to be their circus clown," Taiki said.

Yonodaime looked to be in deep thought before he actually responded. "I don't know Taiki…"

"What's the problem, I'm a jounin and I've been told to take it easy," Taiki said in his defense. "These kids aren't ready for C rank missions so it's basically weeding gardens and finding lost pets until later. And by that time I'll have recovered enough to be able to go on A ranked mission and could handle a C rank mission with ease."

"That's not what I'm worried about Taiki…"

"I haven't been asked to take on a genin cell in awhile, so I think I'm over due to be a Sensei. Besides, I like these boys and I'm sure I'll like Mami," Taiki continued in his defense.

Yonodaime shook his head. "But you, all three of you, are so much more animated and showy than Mami. That could push her farther into her soul."

"Or it could be what she needs and brings her out," Hanaya piped up.

Suddenly the nurse who had talked to the boys earlier popped out of the room. "She's conscious."

Asuma and Gai tore out of Hanaya's grasps, pushed the Hokage and nurse aside, and rushed into the room.

"First thing I teach them is manners," Taiki grumbled before following two of his new students. Hanaya smiled at the Hokage and he nodded. Nothing could sway Taiki into not teaching these kids.

When they finally entered the room, Hanaya and the Hokage were shocked. Gai had climbed up onto the on one side of Mami's bed and Asuma was on the other. Gai was going on and on about youth and recovery while Asuma was promising to fix her apartment door before she returned home. Taiki had taken one of her small, slim hands and was calmly introducing himself before bashing the two boys on the head and telling them to be quiet.

"What did I just put that poor girl into?" Yonodaime asked as he rubbed his head.

Hanaya rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Who wants to know? But I still think those boys will bring Mami out of her shell."

"Hey Mami, did you know I was part of the jounin group that found you and brought you to Konoha?" Taiki said with a warm smile.

Mami's already large eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, I was the one to suggest naming you Mami, true beauty," Taiki said with a smirk. "And you're beginning to live up to that name. Boys, we are going to have to protect our teammate here from the other more evil boys."

Yonodaime could see what Taiki meant. As soon as the girl put back on the weight she had lost, she would look healthy. Her long dark hair was silky and smooth, and the tips had been died blonde. Her eyes were almond shape and had an unusual gold coloring to the part that was suppose to be white, but with families like the Hyuugas and the Uchihas, strange eye coloring was not uncommon.

"I don't know Taiki, you might not be enough to protect her," Yonodaime said with a grin. "This one is going to be one hell of a beauty."

After a month of nothing but cold words from Saniiro and the cold shoulder from Asuma and Gai, Mami loved the attention. So was her other self.

Her other self sat calmly within Mami's soul and talked quietly to the frightened girl. She had long snow white hair and her eyes were the same gold as Mami's. Mami wasn't sure if a soul should have a form, and a form of its own for that matter.

But she would listen to it for now on.

For the past week the other her had been yelling at her to slow down, to eat, and to sleep otherwise she would end up killing herself. Her other self blamed many people for the condition that Mami was now in; Saniiro, Gai, and Asuma were at the top of said list.

"_Where is your locket Pup?"_ her other self whispered. She seemed to have calmed down, as if to say that Taiki would do and that the smaller boys had learned their lesson.

Suddenly panic attacked Mami and she began searching for her heart shaped locket, which was obviously not on her. "My locket, where is my locket?"

"You weren't wearing it when I brought you here," Asuma explained quietly. "It's probably still at your apartment. I'll make sure when I go to fix your door."

"Out, all of you, that's enough visiting for one day," the nurse said. She began to try and physically remove Taiki from the room, but he didn't complain.

"It's time for our first mission boys, to take care of our teammate's apartment!"

"But we don't want to…"

Asuma's words were cut off as the Fourth Hokage picked the two boys up around the middle. In a few years they would too big, but for right now they were the perfect size. The Fourth Hokage nodded his good bye before following Taiki out of the room.

"Get some sleep dear," Hanaya said. She leaned down and kissed Mami's head gently. "I have to go and make sure my students haven't killed the substitute I put in my place."

Mami nodded and snuggled back into her covers. Very soon she was alone again.

"_Pup, you need to listen to me next time," _her other self scolded.

"Okay."

"_I mean it. Next time your teammates might not be there to bring you to the hospital."_

"I know."

"_Now get some sleep Pup, our job is far from over. We've barely started."_

- -End Chappie- -

Preview of Next Chappie- -Second to One

Ibiki turned to Anko. He nodded his understandings of what she wanted to discuss before turning back to Mami.

"You'll be testing the genin within a few days to see if any of them are worthy to join us. You should go see Izumo and Kotetsu now."

He left with Anko at his heals who was still complaining about her something of great importance that seemed to be of unimportance.

"Don't let him get to you," Tomoko whispered. "It's his inner sadist."

"Yeah and it's saying I'm second to one," Mami grumbled as she went to go find Izumo and Kotetsu for some information about the genin she would be testing.


	2. Second To One

I'm not very talkative, so I'll go right into it.

Thanks to:

SoledadXiao: Now you get to read more.

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

"_Whatever you are, be a good one."_

_--- Abraham Lincoln_

**Locked Past, Open Future**

**Chapter Two**

**Second to One**

The alarm clocked screamed into his ear, but somehow he managed to ignore it and continue to sleep. However, Mami begrudgingly awoke and reached over him to turn off the nuisance that Ibiki insisted she buy.

It wasn't like her boyfriend had a terribly difficult job or mission at this point either. All he did these days was play baby-sitter to some genin brats and read that annoying book of his. She was going to burn it, the book, and celebrate the day he would have to go without it.

So while he enjoyed himself, she continued to work hard in Torture and Interrogation while forever remaining under the thumb of Ibiki. And right now wasn't a walk in the park. ANBU was rounding up missing-nin left and right. And those shinobi were interrogated immediately upon their arrival.

"Stupid Orichimaru and his stupid evil plans," she whispered as she made her way to her bathroom to quickly shower.

"_Pup, how is it possible for you to be so bitter so early in the morning? You've barely rolled out of bed."_

"I'll be as bitter as I want to be."

The other she rolled her gold eyes. _"Genma is in for trouble today."_

"Any man who decides to piss me off is in trouble."

Within her mind she could see her other self shake her head. The long white hair gently swayed before coming back to rest on her shoulders.

The shower was a quick one. After the shower, she pulled on her undergarments, a pair of baggy green pants that had been cut so that the ends barely passed her knees, and a front lace up, strapless top in Konoha blue. Her jounin vest was somewhere in her closet. She put on the normal weapons pack on her thigh, and there was a second one on her left upper arm. Her forehead protector went around her left knee and the crest of Konoha faced outward.

Finally, Mami opened one of her dresser draws and pulled out her locket. She opened it, smiled, and then closed it again. Then she slipped the long chain over her head and tucked the locket into her shirt. Strangly the metal wasn't as cold as one would expect it to be. Rather, it was warm, close to what a living heart would feel like.

She left her house with her hair still wet, her three housemates still asleep, and without having coffee. Her hair reached the small of her back so would be wet for hours on end. The neon yellow tips were still there and her bangs on the left side of her face had the annoying habit of falling over her left eye. She shared her home with three men, and despite her complaining, she let them sleep for now. Right now all three were teaching genin, one had a newly made chuunin, and were given the privilege of extra sleep. She knew as soon as they stopped being senseis, they would return to the minimal amount of sleep lifestyle. Coffee, in her very loud opinion, was a vile substance that no shinobi needed, but she also did not drink alcohol, so most shinobi labeled her as too clean cut.

"Hello Mami," a male voice called out.

Mami turned around to look at the chuunin school teacher and smiled as he walked up to her. "Good morning Iruka. End of the school year is almost here, right?"

"It's a wild group this year," Iruka said with a nod. "I can't say I'm not glad to not have them be considered my responsibility anymore, but they were lots of fun."

"Any you might throw my way for Torture and Interrogation?" Mami questioned. Iruka shook his head and Mami frowned. "That's okay; we don't determine who's going to join us until they take the chuunin exam at least once."

"I'm sorry, but I could never send a student to Torture and Interrogation. I've heard too many sad stories of people slowly losing their sanity while being a part of that unit," Iruka said with a shiver.

Shrugging, Mami hopped up on to the railing of a bridge while they crossed it. "Taiki was the same way. He did not send us to be examined by T & I until we actually became chuunin. Finally the Hokage order us to spend some time with T & I. I think he only did that because he knew about…"

"_Careful what you say next Pup," _her other self interrupted.

"…about my natural skill in torturing my teammates."

Iruka shrugged off Mami's pause and was wondering what she was going to originally say. But that was Mami. She acted like she was holding this deep dark secret and taunted the rest of the shinobi population with it. Iruka learned to just let her keep her secret and not try to pry it out of her.

"Listen, Ibiki is going to chew me out if I don't get to the office now," Mami said calmly as she jumped down from the railing. "I need to go, but I'm sure I'll see you soon."

"Wait, before you go, I have a question about your friend Cho…" Iruka yelled as the kunoichi used chakara to transport herself to her office in a display of smoke.

When Mami arrived at the office a strawberry blonde hair woman was the only one to look up from her work. "Did Kakashi decide not to let go of you again?"

"No," Mami said casually as she began looking over a written copy of a recent interrogation. "I actually met up with Iruka along the way. He was going to ask about you, Cho."

The strawberry blonde hair woman had bright brown eyes and wore the normal chuunin uniform and vest, but nobody treated her like a chuunin, but more like a jounin.

"Where did this guy come from?" Mami asked as she continued to scrutinize the documents.

"Village hidden in the rain," Cho said calmly. "What did he want to know about me?"

"Who?...oh, Iruka. Don't know, I left before he could ask," Mami responded. "That's funny."

"What?"

Mami ignored that the voice sounded male and defiantly did not belong to Cho. "It says here that he admitted to working under Zabuza, but Zabuza only worked with people who paid him lots of money or other missing-nin from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Also Zabuza has been dead for over a year by now. This guy says he's been working with Zabuza only for a few months. Next person who interviews him should ask him the basic questions, and then point out the inconsistencies."

Ibiki forcefully ripped the documented out of Mami's hand. "Thank you for pointing out what I already know."

Mami scowled at his back. Cho sighed.

"My brother got up on the wrong side of the bed," Tomoko said as she walked into the room. She was the poison mistress of Konoha and supplied all the Shinobi with all of the poisons and antidotes they would need on missions. Because she spent so much time around the plants that made the poisons and the actual poison themselves, Tomoko looked drugged most of the time. Right then was no exception.

"_So did you Pup," _Mami's other self whispered to the kunoichi.

"Mami," Ibiki called out, "you need to go and get the information about the genin we need to test."

"I'll talk to Izumo and Kotetsu and get the info tomorrow."

"Ibiki, we need to talk now," Anko said as she floated into Torture and Interrogation.

"I'm sure it can wait Anko. We're discussing something very important right now," Mami said calmly.

The violet haired woman shot Mami a cold look that clearly said, "I wasn't talking to you."

"What information will you need for deciding who we'll be testing?" Mami asked.

Tomoko's head sluggishly looked up from the documents that requested many doses of a common poison and twice the number of antidotes. The request also asked for a couple of drugs that would knock an enemy out cold. "You're only testing a few genin?"

"We tested only a few to see if they should become a part of T&I, and the rest we test to make sure they can hold out against interrogation," Mami explained.

"Ibiki!" Anko exclaimed. The brash woman was becoming frustrated with those around her.

Ibiki turned to Anko. He nodded his understandings of what she wanted to discuss before turning back to Mami.

"You'll be testing the genin within a few days to see if any of them are worthy to join us. You should go see Izumo and Kotetsu now."

He left with Anko at his heals who was still complaining about her something of great importance that seemed to be of unimportance.

"Don't let him get to you," Tomoko whispered. "It's his inner sadist."

"Yeah and it's saying I'm second to one," Mami grumbled as she went to go find Izumo and Kotetsu for some information about the genin she would be testing. They were probably dealing with Tsunade.

Mami sighed as she walked down the long corridor that took her out of T&I, past ANBU, and finally to the more well known part of Hokage tower. "Inner sadist, that's his excuse for everything these days. It seems more like he's getting crabbier. Maybe it's because he's getting too old and then he'll have to retire…"

Mami continued to let her mind wander on how great T&I could become under her command. Her other self sat happily in a corner of Mami's soul laughing at her dreams.

Then there was a yell that shook the rafters of the Hokage tower and everyone, including Mami, stopped what they were doing.

Izumo and Kotetsu were slowly backing out of the room they were in and hid behind Mami as a bottle of sake was thrown their way.

**LocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocket**

"What have you found out about her?" Ibiki asked calmly.

Anko nodded and closed the door so no one would enter. If Mami knew her own colleagues were trying to dig up any and all information on her, well there would be more trouble to deal with than she normally caused.

"Now there wasn't much information to find, because there is not much to begin with."

Ibiki nodded. "I know that."

"Okay, the simple facts that everyone knows first. She is believed to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but no one can be positive. She lives with Asuma, Gai, and Kakashi in a small house. Mami was made genin at twelve, chuunin at fourteen and jounin at eighteen.

"Now at the Academy her behavior was unpredictable. Some days she would randomly attack people and other days she would freak out at the slightest of touches. As a genin, her first Sensei was the Half Demon Ninja, Saniiro. She ended up in the hospital from the lack of chakara after the first month, and the Fourth Hokage removed Saniiro as her Sensei and put Taiki in his place."

"Who was in her genin cell?" Ibiki asked.

"Gai and Asuma, believe it or not."

Ibiki sat back in his chair in surprise. Asuma and Gai did not seem to be the type to hold on to something like their genin cell. However the three were living together. It wasn't uncommon, Izumo and Kotetsu were the perfect examples, but for three very different people to continue to count on one another?

"So how did Kakashi become apart of their group? If I remember correctly, he and Gai don't get along all the time."

"Well that did seem strange at first," Anko agreed, "but it made sense later on. It turns out that Mami and Kakashi have been seeing each other for awhile by now."

"Which you would know if you went out with us once in awhile," Tomoko snapped as she entered the room.

"And you knew this before you heard Anko say it?" Ibiki shot back at his younger sister.

Tomoko smiled wickedly, the most expressive she had been in a month and nodded. "After Mami and her original teammates became jounin, Asuma, Gai, and Mami, along with Kakashi, moved into a small house together. Did I miss anything?"

"Yes," Anko snorted. "Under Taiki's teachings, Mami's personality began to change for the better. However, after going to that mission in the Land of Waves, her personality changed again."

"I don't think Mami changed, I think she learned about something she's wanted to learn for a long time," Tomoko countered.

Ibiki couldn't add in his feelings. The mission the two women were talking about was before he had met Mami.

"Is there anything else?" Ibiki asked Anko, putting on his interrogation face. Anko looked like she wanted to say more but bit her lip and shook her head. Then the man turned to his sister. Tomoko, used to Ibiki and his stares of death, turned her nose up to the air in one of her few snobbish gestures. "We need to learn more about that woman. There's something off about her."

"Ibiki, please don't be concerned about Mami, she means no harm at all," Tomoko pointed out.

"Ibiki, you're acting paranoid, again," Anko teased.

Ibiki turned towards the two women who had just told him so much, but somehow nothing at all.

"She wasn't born with in the village," Ibiki said quietly. "So how did she get here?"

"Mami doesn't even know herself," Anko pointed out.

Tomoko nodded. "It's not a subject she's very knowledgeable on. So why should it be any of your concern?"

He didn't want to say it was because there was something exotic and mysterious about the woman that did not sit well in his guts. While some ignored the signs and others used them as entertainment, Ibiki was truly worried.

Mami didn't look like anyone from the area. She had black hair, but it was bleach blonde at the ends, and that was natural for her. About five years ago, Genma had cut the blonde tips off while Mami took a nap on her desk. To save himself from having every imaginable weapon chucked at him, Genma had locked the furious Kunoichi into a closet. When Cho had finally found her, the blonde tips were back. Also her eyes, they were a deep gold color, but there was no special jutsu to go with them.

When she realized her brother was brooding, Tomoko spoke again. "Please don't read too much into it Ibiki. It's not your job to find out anything about Mami."

"You forgot Tomoko. It is my job to find out," Ibiki snarled. "Where did that woman come from?"

- - End Chappie - -

Next Chappie - -

Taiki stared at the spot where the woman had once stood before turning back to the baby. It had gone back to it's I hate you stare.

Locked Past, Open Future

Chapter 3

By Any Other Name


	3. By Any Other Name

I've taken my sweet time I know, but I think I have this chapter perfect.

……………………_. O, be some other name!  
What's in a name? that which we call a rose  
By any other name would smell as sweet_

_Juliet_

_William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet_

**Locked Past, Open Future**

**Chapter Three**

**By Any Other Name**

"Please, Alexandria, open up," a hysterical woman cried as she pounded on the witch's door. "Please, I beg of you, open up."

Alexandria was a young woman, barely twenty. She was very beautiful with long caramel colored hair and hazel eyes that sparkled with life. She was also one of the clan's most talented witches.

"Milady, what's wrong?" Alexandria asked as she opened the door up to see Helen.

Helen still showed a few signs of her recent pregnancy. She had had triplets, two girls and a boy.

"They're them!" the newly made mother wailed. Alexandria had met banshee quieter than this woman.

"Milady, there have been three sets of triplets within the clan this year. Your children are not the wolves," Alexandria said, calmly patting the distressed woman on the shoulder. "Now go to your children, I'm sure they're hungry."

"They are!" Helen cried again. She clutched three lockets in her hands. One was tear shaped. Another was oval shaped and had a small diamond in bedded into the metal. The final one was heart shaped and had a tiny flower blossom engraved into it. "Please, I don't want Cassia to die. I'll do anything to help."

Alexandria felt the shock slowly seep into her emotions. They had already determined which child was the White Wolf.

Alexandria herself was not a blood member of the clan. In fact, her home resided in Greece where it had been her family's job for generations to guard the library of Athena, the Goddess of wisdom.

From the many books she learned of many demons from around the world. But none were as unusual as the three wolves. Without a human vessel, the three were just three more demons. But with the help of two young women and a young man, they did great things. At times such things were wonderful and at times such things were disastrous.

"They're going to take my little Brannon away from me," Helen continued to blubber.

'The Grey Wolf is named Brannon this life time, but why taken away?' Alexandria thought to herself. "Helen, why would they take Brannon away?"

"It's because of a treaty with the knights. They take the Grey Wolf and raise him as one of their own."

Slowly, sense came into the decision. Without the Grey Wolf around, the clan could focus solely on the Black Wolf. That particular demon was also known as the Assassin Wolf.

There had been very few times that Alexandria was forced to make a split second decision. To join and study with the clan had been one of those decisions. This was to be another.

"Listen carefully Helen," the witch whispered as she grasped the other woman's shoulders. "You will need to let Brannon go with the knights. He will be raised kindly with them and learn to be a fine young man."

Helen nodded, with tears in her eyes.

"As long as Cassia is alive, your daughter who is the Black Wolf will not be able to become the assassin the clan plans to train her as," Alexandria continued.

Suddenly Helen was shaking Alexandria with all the strength the tired body could muster. "But they're going to kill Cassia, and then Diamond will surely become a heartless killer!"

Removing Helen's hands, Alexandria continued to tell the other her plan. "I know of many countries, far from here, that have never even heard of your clan. Only a few of those people know of mine."

Helen nodded her understanding. Her tears were stopping and she was starting to stand up straight. "Make the clan believe that Cassia is dead. Then take her away to a place that will keep her safe."

"Teach her to grow," Alexandria continued.

"I'll kill a piglet in her crib and then burn the carcass in the nursery. I'll act like I've broken down and killed her myself," Helen planed out loud. "That will give you time to take Cassia safely away. Then when God wishes it, he'll bring all of my children back to me."

Alexandria smiled warmly. She did not know that Helen was so level headed.

Helen ran to the pig pen and chose the runt of the newest litter. Alexandria collected her belongings and drew the signs on the ground to transport them home. She then collected the necessary items that she and Cassia would need on their trip. Food, water, and extra blankets were at the top of the list. As a second thought, Alexandria chose a spice made from a tree that grew within the area. The tree was called cassia.

The two women met up again in the nursery where the three infants were supposed to be sleeping. However, Brannon and Diamond were quietly babbling and Cassia was staring at her mother.

"They're responsive for being so young," Alexandria commented.

Helen laughed. "It must be the wolves. They'll grow up quickly."

"Those who grow up too fast become childish when they become adults."

Blinking at the strange comment, Helen tried to figure out what Alexandria meant.

"Give me the lockets," Alexandria ordered. She opened the one with the diamond. With in it, she used her magic to transfer an image of Brannon onto one side and Cassia onto the other. With the tear shaped locket, Alexandria transferred the girls' images into the metal. Finally with the heart shaped locket, she transferred the images of Diamond and Brannon. "There, now the kids will be watching each other as they grow. The pictures will change and grow with them."

Helen couldn't help but smile. The Alexandria picked up an empty picture frame and transferred all three images into it for Helen.

"You should probably hide this or you might be questioned," the witch said off handedly.

"You should probably leave while it's still dark," the mother replied as she accepted the picture. "You might not have enough energy to make it all the way there."

Alexandria drew the seals that would get her to the tiny island. "I'll be able to make it to the border, and by that point, I won't have to worry about the clan following us."

Kissing her daughter goodbye, Helen handed Cassia over to Alexandria. Alexandria concentrated on her destination, and then the witch and White Wolf carrier were gone.

Quickly cleaning up Alexandria's seals, Helen prepared herself for her act. She screeched as she killed the tiny piglet. Brannon and Diamond also began to wail as well. She then threw the dead body into the flames and sank to her knees and sobbed.

"Helen, what happened here?" a young man cried as he ran into the room. "Helen my love, what's wrong?"

Helen ran her bloody fingers threw her black mane of hair and continued to cry. "She's gone Connor."

Connor looked from the bloodied cradle to his wife's bloodied hands. He listened to his children's wails and noted there were only two. Finally he saw the odd shape log on the fire.

"I'm sorry," Connor whispered as he took Helen into his arms and rocked her gently. "I knew how much you were looking forward to being a mother. Please forgive me, I'm sorry."

Helen gripped his arm and desperately wished that she could tell him that Cassia was safe.

**LocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocket**

Alexandria made it safely to the Land of Waves. She had visited the small island on occasion, and it had always seemed safe. So the witch and child stayed there for a single day.

Then under the cover of darkness, Alexandria made her way towards a temple she was familiar with.

The temple was similar to Athena's library that Alexandria took care of. The big difference was clear. While Athena's library held information and facts from all over the world, this god of knowledge knew little past the culture's realm of influence.

Alexandria had to side step a small group of people, two young men and a young woman, as they left the temple.

"Excuse us Miss," one man said politely.

Nodding her thanks and her own apology, Alexandria rushed into the temple.

"Kohaku!" Alexandria cried. "Koh, where are you? I need your help."

"With what Lexa?" a plump old man asked from behind the woman.

Removing the blanket so that Kohaku could see Cassia, Alexandria began to explain the long and complex history of the clan. "So now I need to find a place for her to learn and grow."

"A hidden shinobi village," Kohaku stated.

Sighing, Alexandria tried to find a way for the old man to tell her where to go. "But I don't know the difference between Leaf and Mist. I barely know that they exist!"

"Konoha," Kohaku said as he returned to organizing a set of scrolls he had recently acquired.

Alexandria gently put Cassia down on the silken pillow. The young witch was afraid of hurting the infant for Alexandria was beginning to shake with rage. This child's entire life was in jeopardy and Kohaku had barely thought of the decision for a few minutes.

"Would you care to explain yourself?" Alexandria asked through gritted teeth. "I was thinking you and I could research important information about the different villages and then visit them all before we made the decision."

"Only Konoha has a treaty with the three wolves you have talked about," Kohaku explained.

"A treaty…but I would have known…"

Kohaku laughed. "Lexa, it is impossible for a single person to know everything. I tell that to almost every shinobi who enters my temple. When Konoha first came into existence, the First Hokage made a pact with the current wolf vessels. This was a couple generations before the clan started to kill the white wolf at infancy, so all three wolves were present. The current Hokage will feel the need to look after the little one. Besides, he is a kind man. I am sure he will help her even if the treaty has been broken for some reason."

"Now all I have to do is find Konoha," Alexandria said calmly.

"No need to, those Shinobi that just left are Leaf Shinobi," Kohaku said simply. "Have one of them take the child to Konoha. The less any of us know and understand the story, the safer it is for the child."

Alexandria barely caught Kohaku's last few words. She was already on her way with Cassia to find the Shinobi she had bumped into earlier.

**LocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocketLocket**

"I can't believe what an idiot I am," a leaf shinobi groaned as he continued to make a path for himself though the dense forest that surrounded Konoha.

"I sounded stupider than normal. 'Excuse us Miss.' Seriously, I'll never see the girl again; why be polite?" the man said with a chuckle.

"Please wait," a desperate voice cried. The leaf shinobi turned around to see the woman he had been bumped into earlier running towards them.

The shinobi sighed. "Spoke to soon."

"Please, I have a favor to ask of you," the woman said as she caught up to him. She took the shinobi's arms and curved them into the correct formation. She then placed a tiny bundle into them. "Will you please take her to Konoha?"

Moving some of the blankets aside, the shinobi gasped as he saw the small face.

"What's going on here?" he growled.

"Please, both of you will be safer if you knew nothing more than you already do," the woman pleaded.

The shinobi stared down at the child in his arms. It had a clear expression of hate and disgust. Her gold eyes clearly said that he was not what the small child wanted at all. There was also fear in the small face, like the child somehow understood what was happening to her. But that couldn't be possible.

Normally, if something like this would happen, the shinobi would hand the child back to the woman. But something in the back of his mind was saying that that was the wrong thing to do.

"Taiki!" one of the shinobi's teammates yelled out.

Taiki turned around at the sound of his name. Suddenly there was a slight flash of light and a small pop. When the shinobi had turned around to see what the young woman was up to, he found she had disappeared. Taiki stared at the spot where the woman had once stood before turning back to the baby. It still had it's I hate you stare.

"There you are!" the kunoichi member of the team snorted. "What have…Where did you get that poor thing?"

"I found it, it must have been abandoned," Taiki lied.

The leader of the group caught a glimpse of something silver and pulled it out of the folds of cloth. It was a silver heart shaped locket. A strange flower was engraved into the metal. When he tried to open the locket, he found he could not. The leader then turned to the child that still lay in Taiki's arms. "Tell me little one, what is in your locket?"

The look of disgust that Taiki had been receiving was turned towards the jounin leader. He looked slightly disturbed by the child's reaction.

"I was just asking," the leader mumbled to himself as he tucked the locket back into the folds of the blanket.

Smiling the kunoichi took the infant from Taiki and gently began to rock the child and make quiet cooing noises. "There, there sweet heart, no more mean shinobi trying to make you cry."

Gurgling noises of happiness were admitted from the child.

"Of course it likes you," Taiki sighed as he leaned against a tree and slid down to a sitting position.

"It happens to be a girl," the kunoichi stated with a smirk.

"How can you tell?" the leader asked with a snarl.

"I just can."

Taiki let his arguing teammates drift out of his mind. The woman who had handed him the baby had used pronouns like her. The infant was most likely female.

"Hey Taiki, you need to think of a name," the leader said as he broke the argument with the kunoichi.

Even though he had to deal with Kohaku and suddenly had this baby literally shoved into his arms, Taiki was still capable of coming up with a very intelligent answer. "Huh?"

"Konoha law says that since you found the child you need to name it," the leader said with a happy grin.

The kunoichi scowled. "It…is…a…her."

"It's simple, Taiki, choose some random name," the leader smile grew. His two teammates smiled as they realized that the normally masked man had pealed a way one of his layers.

"Just like you did with your son, Sakumo?" Taiki teased the older man. "You named your kid Kakashi, scarecrow!"

"So?" Sakumo asked, a happy smile shining behind his navy blue mask.

"Fine we'll name the kid Mami, so that it will cancel out your boy's ugly name," Taiki smart mouthed back.

The kunoichi shook her head as she watched the two men playfully argue, and then turned her gaze down to the infant. "If you don't grow up to be a beauty and live up to your name, then I'm going to find you and tease you about it."

"What's wrong with the name Kakashi?" Sakumo asked with a laugh.

"And I'm also going to tell you how you got your name," the kunoichi said with a sinister grin. "And we'll make sure Taiki and Sakumo are there so we can watch them squirm with embarrassment."

End of Chappie

Next Chappie: Eye of the Storm

Mami stared at the twelve manila folders that held the information of the twelve possible candidates. She opened the top, and thickest, folder. Upon reading the first few lines of information, Mami's eyes narrowed and her other self shifted uncomfortably.

The folder belonged to none other Uzamaki Naruto.


End file.
